IV. Who is covered

Pennsylvania's Shield Law applies to anyone "engaged on, connected with, or employed by any newspaper of general circulation or any press association or any radio or television station, or any magazine of general circulation, for the purposes of gathering, procuring, compiling, editing or publishing news." 42 Pa. C.S.A. § 5942(a). There is no Pennsylvania statutory or case law directly addressing the definitions of "engaged on, connected with, or employed by" or "general circulation" or what it means to gather, procure, compile, edit or publish news.

In Pennsylvania, the First Amendment reporter's privilege has been extended to members of the "news media," including "reporters." Davis v. Glanton, 705 A.2d 879, 885 (Pa. Super. 1997). There are no Pennsylvania cases that discuss the definitions of "news media" or "reporter" for the purposes of the privilege.